Where in Somalia are these pirates hiding the $100 million, which
is in cash, not bank drafts? On the one hand, they are free to do as
they please with the money because they have no fear of being arrested
because there is no government to impose law and order. On the other
hand, Somalia has no banks, so if the pirates have made deposits, in
which country or countries are the banks?

According to Farah Ismael Eid, a pirate who is serving a 15-year term
In Somalia´s notorious Mandera prison, the money he and his pals
collected was divided thus: 30% for government officials 20% for the
bosses, 20% for necessities like guns, food and cigarettes, 30% for the
gunmen.

That is a lot of ciggies folks. If one is to believe these figures that
means pirates spend $500,000 out of every million-ransom dollars on
snacks, smokes and guns. One assumes these wafer thin bandidos are not
big eaters, and an AK-47 can be bought in this part of East Africa for
under $100 bucks. This means Somali pirates are puffing their way
through almost half a million dollars in cigarettes every week.

What? What's that you say? The pirates' roughly $250,000
worth of seed capital is provided from a successful Somali outside of
the country through the Hawala money laundering system? Well, what do you know. (Have a little time to kill? You can listen to the NPR's Money Planet
podcast on the subject referencing the role of Hawala in pirate
financing here. Starts at the 10:00 minute mark.)

Gee, do you think that is the way that the money is getting out of the country, too?

Already, senior Al-Qaeda member Sa’id Ali Jabir Al-Khathim al-Shihri, has instructed his Somali allies to "increase your strikes against the crusaders at sea and in

Djibouti

." Earlier in April, an al-Shabaab spokesperson praised the pirates, saying
they were "protecting the coast against the enemies of Allah." The
leader of the Ras Kamboni Brigades, another radical Islamic group said
to be linked to Al-Qaeda, said the pirates were "part of the
Mujahideen" despite being "money-seekers." Those that dismiss the
possibility of a link between pirates and terrorists underestimate the
forces of radical Islam’s ability to establish relationships of
convenience, and underestimate the greed of pirates with a clear will
to bypass principles for the sake of profit....

At the Somali Piracy Conference on April 7, Ambassador David H. Shinn conceded
there was "no evidence that piracy is directly linked to international
terrorism, although many Somali groups get a cut of the ransom money."
Citing Jane’s Intelligence Review, Shinn explained that the two forces
cooperate on arms smuggling, and the pirates are reportedly helping
al-Shabaab develop maritime capabilities.

While the
relationship is based on business and not ideology, it doesn’t make it
any less beneficial to al-Shabaab. He says that they sometimes receive
a "protection fee of 5 to 10 percent of the ransom money. If al-Shabab
helps to train the pirates, it might receive 20 percent and up to 50
percent if it finances the piracy operation."

Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme, has also said such a link exists. He told
Reuters in August that "According to our information, the money they
make from piracy and ransoms goes to support al-Shabaab activities
onshore."

Nor is al-Shabaab the only radical Islamic group
utilizing piracy. According to The Long War Journal, "Al Qaeda’s
regional affiliate, Jeemah Islamiyah, is often engaged in piracy, as
are the Philippine affiliates Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),
Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group. The
pirates and terrorists are often one in the same, or if not, are in
close cooperation."

That Movie: How The Innocence of Muslims Was MadeWhen struggling actor Tim Dax was hired to star in a swords-and-sandals movie titled Desert Warrior, he was just happy to have the job. One year later, Dax and the rest of the film’s cast and crew would look on in horror as The Innocence of Muslims—a crudely dubbed version of the movie they thought they were making—ignited protests across the Arab world and controversy at home. Speaking with many of the film’s principals, Michael Joseph Gross reports on a story as old as Hollywood itself: a pursuit of fame and fortune that ended in tears.

Pravda to Americans: Never Give Up Your Guns"These days, there are few few things to admire about the socialist, bankrupt and culturally degenerating USA, but at least so far, one thing remains: the right to bare arms and use deadly force to defend one's self and possessions."